1: The Soul Gem

In a cave beneath the magnificent palace of the lycanthropes, an unknown man wearing a black cloak moved under the cover of darkness and crept stealthily down the tunnel, towards the warriors at the far end.

The warriors were obviously guarding something because a bright blue glow emitted from the cave behind them.

The unknown man crept further, using the darkness of the cave as a perfect cover to shield his movements.

The warriors conversed in low tones, oblivious to the man creeping silently towards them.

When he was close enough, the unknown man brought out a set of tiny needles and a hollow pipe. He inserted the needles into the pipe and quietly raised it to his mouth.

One by one, he blew sharply through the pipe, sending the needles flying through the air until it found its mark.

Twelve lycan warriors all fell down unconscious as the needle sunk into their skins. They wouldn't die though, but they would be unconscious for about an hour.

He had to move quickly.

The man slipped into the cave at the end of the tunnel. Once inside, he took off the dark cloak and the glow from the room shone on his appearance.

He was a shifter, but not a lycan. A common werewolf, one of the lowest rank in the shifter's hierarchy. An omega. He looked sick, skin pale from some sort of disease and his hands shook as he put the hollow pipe away.

His pale grey eyes lit up with awe when his gaze fell on the glowing Gem in the middle of the cave. It was this Gem the warriors had been guarding, the sacred Soul Gem of the lycanthropes.

Rumours had it that the Gem had the greatest power in the entire world. It could grant the owner his greatest desire and it was told to be a beacon for good luck. Whoever had the Soul Gem in his possession was considered blessed by the moon goddess.

The Soul Gem had been in the possession of the lycanthropes and their land had been prospering wealthily. Soon enough, other creatures began to covet the sacred Gem. They wanted it for themselves.

The unknown man moved cautiously towards the Gem that glowed enticingly in the middle of the cave, floating in midair.

Suddenly an arrow shot out from the wall and flew through the air towards him.

The man was quick enough and he dodged it. A dozen arrows followed suit, intent on killing him, but the man had already anticipated it.

He shifted into his wolf, a scrawny looking brown wolf and moved swiftly across the room. The arrows all missed him and he finally collapsed close to the Gem, breathing heavily.

He slowly shifted back to his human form and his weak eyes scanned the room for any more booby traps.

"I should have known the Gem would be heavily guarded",he muttered to himself.

As he slowly pushed himself up, he raised one of his hand and stared at it. It was slowly decaying. He was dying away.

"I must hurry",he urged himself. "I do not have much time"

He straightened to his feet quickly and hurried towards the Gem.

"At last",he breathed out, eyes gleaming with triumph. "The Soul Gem is mine. I shall become immortal, and rule over the entire world"

He took out a pouch from his pockets and slowly stretched his hand towards the floating Gem.

When his weak fingers grasped it, he gasped. The Gem was freezing cold, and soon ice began to crawl up his hand.

The decay in his arms slowly healed up as power from the Gem surged into his body. The wrinkles in his body disappeared and the once haggard looking old man became as young as a man in his youth.

The man stared at his strong arms in awe, his eyes gleaming with glee and triumph.

"The rumours were right",he whispered. "The Soul Gem holds unimaginable powers"

Moving quickly, he placed the Soul Gem inside the pouch and tied the string to keep it safe.

Just as he turned around to leave, the cave shook. The earth trembled violently and debris clattered from the ceiling.

As quickly as it begun, the trembling subsided again.

"I must leave now",he whispered, his eyes darting around the cave that had gone dark with the absence of the glowing Gem.

Soon the lycan warriors would awaken from the sleeping drug he injected into them with the needles. He needed to exit the cave now.

He turned around and was about to hurry out of the cave when he froze suddenly.

There was a woman standing at the entrance of the cave, staring at him in puzzlement. She stepped further into the cave and her eyes widened when she saw that the Soul Gem was gone.

She turned her cold eyes on the man and slowly, fury took over her expression.

"What have you done?",she demanded in a powerful voice. "Where is the Soul Gem?"

The man sneered and charged towards her.

He tried to move past her and escape through the entrance but the woman was quicker. She blocked the door with her body and her hands slowly shifted, transforming into a set of sharp claws.

"How dare you steal the Soul Gem?",she thundered in her powerful voice.

"Get out of my way woman",the man snarled at her. "I didn't risk my life to get this Gem, only to be defeated by you"

"Give it back",the woman growled threateningly, her eyes flashing red for a brief second.

"Never",the man growled back at her and he moved swiftly towards her again.

The woman lifted her claws and was about to strike him when she felt something stab into her side.

The man had whipped out a dagger and plunged it into the woman's side, and he took a step back, smiling evilly.

Scrunching up her face at the pain in her side, the woman let out a loud growl, so powerful that it shook the cave. She succeeded in striking the man backwards before she collapsed on the ground.

"Arrrrh!",she cried out as she pulled the dagger out. Blood slowly pooled beneath her.

The unknown man chuckled as he picked himself from the ground.

He dipped his hand into the pouch and took out the Soul Gem, staring at it like one possessed.

"The Soul Gem is mine",he gloated and laughed triumphantly.

"You won't get away with this",the woman snarled at him, but she could feel herself growing weaker. Her vision turned grey around the edges and it was getting difficult for her to breathe.

The unknown man chuckled again and placed the Soul Gem back in his pouch.

"You can't stop me",he voiced out with a triumphant look. "You were dead right from the moment I stabbed you with the poisonous dagger"

The woman watched in despair as the man stepped over her and walked out freely.

Before she breathed her last, she tried to send a mind link to her mate but she was growing weaker. Her mind became muddled as her vision blurred and slowly faded.

Slowly, death claimed her.

...

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